ARKANSAS: State Judge Resigns After Thousands Of Photos Reveal He Paddled Nude Male Defendants

Back in November I reported that an Arkansas judge had been accused of soliciting sex from male defendants. As it turns out, there’s much more to the story. NBC News reports:

An Arkansas judge accused of swapping sex for reduced sentences resigned Monday after a state commission said it discovered thousands of photographs from his computer that depicted nude male defendants.

In a letter to the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, Cross County District Judge Joseph Boeckmann said that his resignation was effective immediately, and that he would never again seek a job as a local, county or state employee.

Boeckmann’s resignation came after the commission said in a May 5 letter to his lawyer that it was in the process of recovering as many as 4,500 photos.

“They all depict young men, many naked who are in various poses inside the judge’s home and outside in his yard,” the letter states, adding that many of the men had received checks from the judge and had appeared before him as defendants.

“There are numerous photos of naked young men bending over after an apparent paddling,” the letter reads. “Please accept this as notice to not destroy [or] otherwise dispose of this paddle.”

Back in February the judge claimed the photos were merely used to “to corroborate participation in community service.”